To See Her Again
by jadedflower
Summary: Akito had warned Yuki to stay away from Tohru. When Yuki doesn't listen, Akito takes matters into his own hands, and Yuki never could have imagined the consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! First off, thanks for clicking on my story. I've wanted to write a fanfic for years, but this is my very first one. I'm kind of winging it… I've been afraid to write about an anime because I don't really understand the difference between –san and –kun and –sempai and whatnot. If you want to send me a message explaining, I'd really appreciate it! Also, I'd like to point out that I've never read the manga, I've only seen the anime. As far as I'm concerned, Tohru isn't in a relationship (yet ;) ) and Akito is male. Anyway, I'm not sure how this is going to turn out, but I really hope you like it**

**Disclaimer: the original story is not mine!  
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"Okay, be safe Miss Honda," Yuki said as Tohru left to go to her part time job.

Tohru smiled, "Of course Yuki! I'll be home at 11:00!"

He smiled back as she walked out the door, but he could tell that the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Akito's threat was still on the front of his mind…

_*Flashback*_

_Yuki collected the books from his desk as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Tohru wasn't in his last class, so he usually just met up with her at home._

_Because the house was secluded in the woods, he had to walk along some isolated paths on his way home. About half way to the house, he noticed a looming figure up ahead that was blocking the path. He froze in fear when he recognized the person._

_"Hello, Akito," Yuki greeted him dryly. He was terrified to see him, but figured that formalities might delay finding out what sort of trouble was in store for him._

_Akito smirked, "Why hello, my dear Yuki." He stepped closer to him. "I just met the most interesting young lady that seemed to be headed toward the same house that I allow you to stay in."_

_Yuki's eyes widened as he thought of Tohru meeting Akito. He was capable of such despicable things… He didn't want to imagine what he could have done to her._

_Akito chuckled. "Don't look so worried, I didn't do anything to her. At least not yet."_

_Yuki broke out of his daze and glared at Akito. "Don't threaten her! She didn't do anything wrong!" he shouted._

_Akito narrowed his eyes at Yuki. "Oh yes she did, Yuki," he growled, "I don't believe anyone asked me permission for her to stay with you. A mere human has no business with us. She poses a threat to everyone in the Sohma family."_

_"But she would never-"_

_"Silence!" Akito commanded as his hand slapped forcefully along the side of Yuki's face. Yuki fell to the ground and covered his cheek with one hand as he peered up at Akito's intimidating stance. Akito continued menacingly, "I will not have you going behind my back, Yuki. You will make her leave by the end of tomorrow, or your friend will face severe consequences."_

_Akito walked away in the direction Yuki came from, leaving Yuki on the ground to contemplate his threat._

_*End Flashback*_

Yuki watched through the window until Tohru was completely out of sight. Akito had threatened him yesterday, and today was the deadline for when he had to get Tohru to leave. He just couldn't do it though… She had nowhere to go, and if Yuki was being honest, he couldn't stand the thought of her leaving.

**Huh. I didn't realize how short this was until I uploaded it. Future chapters will be longer! Please please please review! Suggestions? Criticisms? Compliments maybe? I'm kind of insecure about having people read something I wrote, so I'd really appreciate any reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello there! Just a couple points I want to clear up: I know that Akito met Tohru at school once, but this is taking place earlier, before Tohru met any of the extended family. For simplicity's sake, she only knows Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure, though she'll meet other people as the story progresses.**

** Enjoy! I really hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: the original story is not mine!**

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Chapter 2

Tohru smiled as she walked out of the office building where she worked. It was hard work, but she was really glad that she was earning some money on her own. She was planning to do something special for Shigure, Kyo, and Yuki with some extra money she was raising up. After all, they were doing so much for her! She owed them so much, and she wanted to give them something back.

She began walking down the sidewalk, daydreaming about all the wonderful things she could do for them if she could get enough money together. As she started walking further down the sidewalk though, she noticed that there was a man walking about forty feet behind her. He was very tall and had dark black hair hanging over his eyes. She started to quicken her pace, but then realized she was overreacting. _Mom always said, 'Always give people the benefit of the doubt!' I'm can't judge a person just because he's…now about thirty feet behind me._

Though Tohru tried to pretend like nothing was wrong, she couldn't help glancing over her shoulder every few moments to notice that the man was getting closer to her, even though she was walking at a much faster pace than earlier. When she reached the end of the block, she quickly turned the corner and started running. She only had a couple seconds of a head start, so she ran as fast as she could.

When she was about halfway down the block, she could hear the footsteps of the man running behind her. She thought about yelling for help, but it was late and no one was around the desolate street to hear her. She kept pushing her legs forward though, not daring to look behind her. Her breath started to quicken and her muscles started to ache; she couldn't keep it up for much longer. The footsteps of the man were getting louder- she could tell he was gaining on her.

Without warning, a hand clamped in front of her mouth and she was yanked to a stop. She tried screaming, but no one was there to hear her.

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Yuki couldn't stop pacing. Tohru was never home later than 11:00, and it was now 11:40. He knew he had to watch his back because he didn't listen to Akito, but he never expected Akito to take any action this quickly. After five more minutes of pacing, he couldn't take it anymore. Even though it had begun raining buckets, he decided to go look for her.

"Hey," Kyo called to him before he was out the door, "where are you going, you stupid rat? In case you haven't noticed, it's pouring outside."

Yuki turned to him with cold eyes. "Really?" he said sarcastically, "I didn't notice. Or maybe you didn't notice that Miss Honda was supposed to be home an hour ago and she's not here."

Kyo was silenced by his words. He felt bad for what he said and for not noticing that Tohru was gone, but he wasn't about to admit that to dumb Yuki. When he didn't answer, Yuki sighed exasperatedly, grabbed an umbrella, and walked out into the rain to look for her.

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**Sorry it was kind of short. It just felt kind of right to stop it there. **

**Review please! It only takes a minute, and I'd sure appreciate it :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next chapter! I'm going camping, so I won't be able to post for a little bit. But, just for you, I decided to stay up 'til 3 this fine morning to get this chapter to you before I go. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I really wished Yuki was mine, but alas, he is not. None of Fruits Basket is *sobs hysterically***

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Yuki decided to retrace the path that Tohru normally followed when she was walking home from work. Hopefully she was just running late, trying to get in some extra hours to earn more money. 'She always works too hard,' Yuki thought to himself. If only she'd realize that she wasn't a nuisance to them at all, and that they would be happy to pay for any expenses of her living with them.

'_I'll be home at 11:00!' _Tohru's words echoed in his ear. No, he knew that she wasn't just late. She would at least call if she was going to be home late. Wouldn't she? She knows how much he worries about her, right?

This was all his fault. Though he would never in a million years kick Tohru out of the house, he should have anticipated Akito's fury. He shouldn't have let her go out on her own, at least not so soon. He just never expected Akito to notice so quickly that Tohru was still with them. But Yuki knew that that was just an excuse. He should've walked Tohru to work. He should've stayed there, in the shadows, waiting for her to finish so that he could walk her home.

For the first time, Yuki started to wonder if staying with them was the best thing for Tohru. She was just a normal girl, and he, Shigure, and Kyo were putting her at risk because they were selfish. But where else would she go? She couldn't live out in that tent forever, and life with her grandfather and devil spawn family wasn't life at all. Besides, it was her choice to stay with them. Even if there was a little bit of a risk.

Yuki thought back to his conversations with Tohru over the past twenty-four hours. He didn't want to scare her, so he never told her about Akito's visit.

_*Flashback*_

_ After his encounter with Akito, Yuki walked in the house a few minutes later than usual. As expected, Tohru was already home._

_ "Welcome home Yuki!" Tohru called from the kitchen._

_ "Hello, Honda-san," Yuki said, walking into the kitchen. When Tohru saw him, she stopped in her tracks._

_ "Yuki, what happened to your face?" Tohru said, worriedly staring at the red mark that covered the side of his face. Yuki had forgotten that Akito had hit him, and he quickly tried to cover the red with his hand._

_ "Oh, it's nothing," he assured her, "I just tripped on my way home. It's no big deal, Honda-san."_

_ Tohru could tell that he was lying, but she didn't press the issue. If he didn't want to tell her, she knew that there was a good reason for it._

_*End Flashback*_

He never told her how he really got the red handprint on his cheek. He never really told her how dangerous life with the Sohmas can be. A pang of guilt hit Yuki. Maybe if she had known about Akito's threat she would have decided to leave. He would've have tried to talk her out of it of course, but the decision would have been hers. Now she wasn't able to make her own decision.

As the rain angrily pounded on his umbrella, Yuki continued down the road toward the office building where she works, hoping to find some clue as to where she went. A couple blocks from the building, he heard something. It sounded like…crying?

When Yuki turned the corner of the block, he saw a young girl kneeling on the ground crying. It was Tohru.

"Honda-san!" Yuki called, frantically running over. She was soaked to the bone, and Yuki worried about her getting sick. When he reached out to give her the umbrella though, she cringed and shrank away from him.

"It's just me," Yuki reassured her, "Come on, you're going to catch a cold if you stay in the rain like that."

"Who are you?" Tohru asked in a panic, "How do you know my name?"

"What are you talking about?" Yuki questioned, genuinely worried, "It's me, Yuki."

"I-I…I'm sorry," Tohru said, breaking down into sobs, "I don't know you. Are you with that other man? Please just leave me alone."

That other man? But who-?

Yuki froze. He knew exactly who. Hatori.

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**Bum bum bum! Please please please review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**A big thank you to everyone that reviewed for last chapter! I really appreciate the support. So here's the next chapter! It's short, but I have some ideas for a longer next chapter. I'm going on a road trip with my laptop, so hopefully I'll have time to write lots!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Fruits Basket in my dreams. Not so much in reality.**

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"_I-I…I'm sorry," Tohru said, breaking down into sobs, "I don't know you. Are you with that other man? Please just leave me alone."_

_That other man? But who-?_

_ Yuki froze. He knew exactly who. Hatori._

Yuki stared blankly at Tohru, trying to mask the rage that was slowly growing in him. It took him a few moments to compose himself. He would deal with Hatori later. Right now, Tohru needed him.

"No, I'm a friend," Yuki said to Tohru as she sat soaking wet in the rain. "Trust me," he said, leaning down and offering her a hand.

Tohru was scared to death, but something about the boy standing in front of her seemed safe. She hesitantly took his hand and he helped her up while keeping her under the protection of the umbrella.

"I'm Yuki," he introduced himself again.

"T-Tohru," she responded waveringly, "How did you know my name earlier?"

Yuki smiled reassuringly. "We're friends," he said as he started leading her toward the shelter of a nearby shop's awning, "you live with me and my cousins."

Tohru looked at him with uncertainty. "But how did you know where I was?" she asked uneasily.

"You didn't come home from work on time, so I thought I'd go try to find you."

Though she was terrified of what was going on, this sounded like a reasonably sound answer to Tohru. She had no idea where else she had to go, so she let him lead her back to the house.

"I'm so tired," she said under her breath while yawning.

"Come on, your room is this way," Yuki said, leading her upstairs.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Yuki looked in Tohru's room and saw her sleeping fitfully between hacking coughs. He sighed; apparently she did get sick from being out in the rain too long. He walked in and put another blanket over her shivering body. She looked so vulnerable lying there, so weak and oblivious. He sat down in a chair by the door and watched her for a while. He was so worried about her earlier that he wasn't quite ready to let her out of his sight.

As he was watching her, he thought about how completely trusting she was of him, even though to her he was a complete stranger. That was the problem. He didn't know yet exactly what happened, but Tohru was so susceptible to danger because she trusted people too much, and he was sure that Hatori had found a way to take advantage of that.

He hoped that he would be able to help her regain some of her memories. If she couldn't remember, then Akito would get what he wanted. Yuki wasn't about to give in to Akito because he threatened him. Somehow he would find a way to undo the damage that Hatori had done.

'Hatori,' Yuki thought, 'You are going to have hell to pay.'

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**So did you like it? It's a little more of a short filler chapter after all the excitement, but more excitement is to come! Please review! It's just a little button down there. Click it, type a few words. It only takes a minute :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay! New chapter! I've been thinking about it, and I think I'm generally going to try to post about once a week. Sometimes more often, sometimes less often, but definitely within two weeks. I really hate it when authors take so long to post that by the time there's a new chapter, you don't remember the story at all and have to reread it. I will try my best to not do that! As always, I hope you enjoy! Read and review please!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket. I wish I was that creative :p**

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Yuki couldn't sleep that night. In the early morning, he was still pacing around the main room of the house, wondering what to do. He felt like he had to confront Hatori, but at the same time, he wasn't quite ready to go to the main house, especially because there's a risk that he would run into Akito.

As he stood there contemplating, a light knock sounded at the front door. 'Who could be here this early?' Yuki thought as he checked his watch. 5:35. He walked over to open the door, and there stood Hatori himself.

Yuki's eyes darkened with hatred. "What?" he asked harshly.

"I came to check on Tohru-san."

Without realizing what he was doing before he did it, Yuki pulled back his fist and sent it colliding into Hatori's face. Hatori didn't even try to fight back; he just stood there partly hunched over, rubbing his jaw.

"Like hell you did," Yuki said bitterly, "If I didn't go find her, she'd still be sitting drenched in the rain."

Hatori looked at the floor guiltily. "I'm sorry. You know how Akito is; I couldn't disobey him."

Yuki glared at him in disgust. "I know you have to do what he says, but even if he told you to erase her memories, why the hell do it like that? When I found her, she was terrified and sobbing on the side of the road! Why would you do that to her? What did she ever do to you?"

Hatori didn't bother answering his questions. He knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't be a good enough excuse for Yuki to understand.

"It's not permanent," Hatori said, trying to help the situation.

"What?" Yuki asked disbelievingly.

"I didn't totally erase her memories. She should be able to recall some of her more deep memories as time goes on."

"But… why?" Yuki asked.

"Akito meant for it to be a warning. So that you would know that he wouldn't forget about what he said."

Yuki frowned. The fury he felt earlier was dissipating, but he was still on edge about what Hatori was saying.

"Then what am I supposed to do? I can't just tell her to leave! She has nowhere else to go!" Yuki didn't mention the more selfish reasons behind him not wanting her to leave.

"I know," Hatori said understandingly, "But you can't just ignore this. I can try to convince Akito to cool off a bit, but I don't think it will do much good."

Yuki sighed. "Well, for now she has to stay. She can't make a decision about what she wants to do if she doesn't even understand what's going on. Besides, she's sick," he said, glaring accusingly at Hatori, who frowned.

"I should go check on her then," he said, starting up the stairs towards the spare room he assumed that she was staying in.

"No," Yuki said, grabbing his arm firmly, stopping him in his tracks, "If she sees you she's going to be terrified."

Hatori hesitated but remained firm. "That may be true, but if she's sick, I should go make sure she's okay."

Yuki wasn't sure what to say. He hasn't forgiven Hatori in the first place, and he wasn't willing to let him be in the same room as Tohru. At the same time, if Tohru really was sick, he didn't want to be the idiot who prevented her from getting treatment.

Yuki sighed. "Fine, but I'm not letting you be alone with her," he said absolutely.

"I understand," Hatori responded as he started up the stairs with Yuki following behind him. "Oh, and Yuki?" he said, turning around to face him.

"What?" he asked, not bothering to look at him.

"She loves you too," Hatori said, thinking back to when he erased her memories. As she felt her memories slipping away, all she said was _"Let me remember Yuki."_

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**Review pretty please! I want to know what you think!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, I've decided that if I do not start making chapters longer, I'm going to punch myself in the face. Well, not really. I think my problem is that I just start writing chapters before planning them, and I eventually run out of ideas. But still, I really want to make longer chapters! Thanks to YupinaXX for reminding me. Also, thanks to everyone else that's reviewed thus far: DelenaForwood, zuzuthezombie, YupinaXX, HOApercyjacksonHUNGERGAMES, emoHippy1, Yugicanbesexy, and ILovePeeta0000. You guys rock!**

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_"She loves you too," Hatori said, thinking back to when he erased her memories. As she felt her memories slipping away, all she said was "Let me remember Yuki."_

Yuki stopped and looked up at Hatori. "W-what?"

Hatori just half smiled and continued walking up the stairs.

Yuki didn't know what to think. He never admitted to anyone how he felt about Tohru, especially not to Hatori. And how would Hatori know how Tohru felt about him? Yuki tried to shoot down any irrational hope, but in the corner of his heart, he couldn't stop feeling a glimmer of joy at the thought. Could Tohru really return his feelings?

As they approached the door to her room, Yuki shook his head free of those thoughts. Right now, he had to focus on Tohru.

Hatori reached for the doorknob and opened the door slowly. Tohru was still asleep, and Yuki couldn't stop the thought of how adorable she looked when she was sleeping curled up into a ball like that.

"Maybe we shouldn't wake her," Yuki suggested, not wanting to cause her any more trouble. Just as he said that though, Tohru started coughing violently in her sleep.

Hatori frowned. "No, it's best to treat her now."

Much to Yuki's chagrin, Hatori walked over to her bedside in the dark room and lightly touched her arm to wake her up. "Tohru-san?" he said quietly to get her attention.

Tohru moaned quietly before cracking her eyes open at the sound of her name being called. "Yuki-kun?" she blindly asked the darkness. When she saw that it wasn't Yuki, but rather Hatori, she screamed bloody murder while rapidly scrambling out of her bed to stand against the wall.

Hearing her scream, Kyo and Shigure both ran into the room as well.

"What the hell?" Kyo yelled, "What's with all the noise?" Yuki shot him a death glare before rushing over to Tohru, who looked scared out of her mind.

"Honda-san?" he said, trying to calm her down, "It's okay, everything's fine.

"B-b-but he's the man from earlier!" Tohru said, pointing to Hatori, who felt ashamed. "And, and who are they?" she stuttered, pointing toward Kyo and Shigure.

"Its okay, they're just my cousins. You're friends with them," he tried to remind her. Shigure and Kyo just stared at the scene unfolding before them, completely baffled as to what's going on.

Tohru vaguely remembered Yuki telling her earlier that she lived with him and his cousins. "How do I not know them though? What happened? And who is he?" she started rapidly firing questions to no one in particular.

"Tohru-san, please, you shouldn't be so worked up in your condition," Hatori said, trying to get her to calm down. When he took a step toward her though, Tohru got so alarmed that her body couldn't take it, and her eyes closed as her body slumped towards the ground. Yuki, being his chivalrous self, stupidly tried to catch her and transformed into a rat. Luckily, she was already passed out, so she didn't witness the transformation that surely would have pushed her over the edge.

Yuki sighed with worry creasing his furry face. "Well at least get her onto the bed so she's comfortable."

Shigure and Kyo stepped forward and awkwardly tried picking her up without getting too close to her. When she was finally settled on the bed, Shigure turned to Yuki.

"Okay Yuki. I think we've waited long enough. You need to explain to us what's going on," he said, surprisingly serious compared to his usual exuberant flare.

Once Yuki transformed back into a human and Hatori had done some examinations while Tohru was passed out, the four of them met in the sitting room downstairs to discuss what had happened.

Hatori started, "Most of her illness seems to be due to stress. As long as she gets plenty of rest, she should be fine." Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"But what caused the stress in the first place?" Shigure asked.

"Yeah, what the hell happened, and why the hell are you being so secretive you damn rat?" Kyo added, earning an admonishing glare from Shigure.

"Hatori?" Yuki prodded, wanting to hear his whole side of the story.

Hatori sighed and began telling the story. "Akito-sama has decided that Tohru-san shouldn't stay here anymore."

Kyo and Shigure gasped simultaneously. "But….why?" Kyo questioned, while Shigure just hung his head solemnly.

"It's Akito, who knows? I suppose he has his reasons, however misguided they may be," Hatori said.

"Two days ago he threatened me and told me that she had to leave yesterday," Yuki added. Kyo was about to protest about how Yuki hid her here anyway, but he admitted to himself that were he in Yuki's shoes, he probably would've done the same thing.

Hatori continued, "Akito-sama instructed me to erase some of her memories as a warning."

Kyo and Shigure gasped again. "So…she can't remember any of us?" Shigure asked frightfully.

_ "_Not for the moment. In a few days, maybe weeks, some of her deeper memories should start to resurface."

"Well what the hell do we do about this?" Kyo asked angrily, "She's not going to leave, but we can't have Hatori running around erasing her memory."

Hatori frowned, "Kyo, I don't think that the next time Akito-sama decides to take his anger out on Tohru-san he's just going to have me erase her memories."

Yuki thought back to all the terrible things that he knew that Akito was capable of and shuddered in fear for Tohru. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Shigure said, "Tohru-san can't be left alone now."

The others all nodded in agreement. "She needs to be protected," Yuki added.

Kyo groaned, "So does that mean we have to be her bodyguards?"

"Yes, Kyo," Shigure said, uncharacteristically assuming his position of authority as their caretaker. "The four of us must look out for her."

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "The four of us? Isn't it rather obvious that Hatori doesn't have her best interests at heart?"

"Now now Yuki, no need to blame this all on Hatori-san," Shigure said, returning to his usual irritating sign-song voice. "All of us will see to it that Tohru-san is always protected!"

Yuki glared at his cousin. He didn't care what Shigure said. He wouldn't let Hatori be alone with Tohru again.

The four disbanded, each going to their respective places. Hatori drove back to the main Sohma house so that Akito wouldn't get suspicious, Kyo drudged upstairs, grumbling about needing more sleep, Shigure went to his office to "work" on his overdue manuscript, and Yuki went back to Tohru's room so that he would be there to explain things when she woke up.

When Yuki opened the door to Tohru's room, he expected to see her lying there sleeping. Instead, he saw an empty room, an open window, and a rope of bed sheets tied together leading to the ground outside.

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**Bum bum bum! Haha! Longer! I win! I shall try to make them longer still. Review and tell me what you think! And woah, I totally wasn't expecting to write that last part. Just kind of came out randomly. Hope you liked it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry doesn't begin to cover it. I have no excuse but laziness for not posting earlier. Thanks to everyone still hanging in there with me. I promise the next chapter will not take as long! Also, I just want to point out what I mean by "Tohru 3****rd**** POV" and "Yuki 3****rd**** POV." These sections are still in third person, but they're still specific to each character. I hope you like it! Read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Fruits Basket is not and never will be mine. I wish…**

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_When Yuki opened the door to Tohru's room, he expected to see her lying there sleeping. Instead, he saw an empty room, an open window, and a rope of bed sheets tied together leading to the ground outside._

Tohru 3rd POV

_I have to get away._

This was the only thought on Tohru's mind as she started running into the woods that surrounded the house. _These people are crazy,_ she thought to herself. She knew that she should always try to see the best in people, but that unfamiliar house and those strange people screamed danger to her. She wanted to trust that boy Yuki, but once she saw the house he took her to, she just couldn't believe him. How could she possibly have lived in a house for so long and have no recollection of it?

Tohru paused in her flee for one moment as a thought struck her: _How exactly did I lose my memories?" I feel like that man in the street had something to do with it, but how is that possible? _

She did a quick inventory of herself. No injuries. No giant bruise on her head. Definitely no amnesia inducing concussion. Her lack of sensible answers sent her once again running into the depths of the woods. Nothing about this made sense. _Well,_ she corrected herself_, one thing does make sense. I need to get far away from here._

She ran as fast as she could through the thick trees, pushing branches aside before they collided with her. Suddenly, she was overcome by a coughing fit. She slowed down and placed her hand on the sturdy bark of a nearby maple tree to support herself. The coughing stopped after a few moments, but she noticed that her breathing wasn't quite normal; it was more shallow and quick. Admitting that she couldn't continue at such a rapid pace for long, she started walking instead of running. She cast a look over her shoulder and noticed that she could no longer see the clearing in which the house lay.

_Good. They shouldn't be able to find me now._

Yuki 3rd POV

"No."

He said this word aloud as he stared at the open window, trying to comprehend the situation.

"No," he repeated louder. He ran to the ledge of the window. "NO!" he screamed, overcome with disbelief.

"Tohru!" he called out the window, "Tohru, where are you?" He screamed out the window but got no response. After a last fleeting glance outside, he turned away from the window and stormed out of the room.

"Hey!" Kyo said angrily. He grabbed Yuki's arm, stopping him in his tracks as he started going down the stairs. "What gives? You gotta wake me up twice today?"

Yuki glared at Kyo. "That's all you care about? Sleep?" he responded. He shook his arm free from Kyo's grasp and continued down the stairs.

"Well if I don't know what else is going on, yeah!" Kyo replied peevishly.

Yuki ignored him and grabbed his jacket as he headed out the door. "Great," he mumbled. He looked up to the sky as rain spattered across his face. "Still raining."

Meanwhile, Kyo poked his head in Tohru's room and saw the window and makeshift rope. His eyes widened and he immediately ran down the stairs and outside.

"Well you're not going without me!" he said indignantly.

Yuki grumbled. "Fine, but it'd be better if we split up anyway. I go this way, you go that way," he said, pointing to opposite sides of the clearing.

Kyo nodded. "And if we find her?"

"Then we meet back here. Now go!" Yuki knew that there was no time to waste; she already had a head start.

As Kyo ran off into the woods to the left of the house, Yuki ran in the opposite direction. "Honda-san!" he yelled, "Honda-san, where are you?!" He got no response.

"Dammit," he said under his breath as he walked into the woods. All that surrounded him were endless trees and a thick downpour of rain. As the raindrops continuously spattered across his face, he could hardly see ten feet in front of him. Regardless, he took off running in a random direction deeper into the woods. _I have to find her, _he thought to himself. _I can't lose her._

He continued for what seemed like forever, constantly calling out her name. Though he never got an answer, he kept calling. "Honda-san, where are you?!"

Tohru's 3rd POV

"Honda-san, where are you?!"

Tohru's breath caught in her throught. She could hear him. She listened to the rain falling loudly on the leaves of the surrounding trees. If she could hear him, he had to be close.

"Honda-san?!"

Yuki's voice was louder now. Tohru quickly jumped for cover behind a fallen tree. She lowered herself onto the ground so that the wide tree trunk partially covered her body.

"Honda-san?!"

He was so close. She could hear him walking now, and Tohru dared not breathe in fear of discovery. His feet loudly crunched through the wet leaves on the ground. The sound was getting louder and louder, and Tohru didn't understand how he wasn't right on top of her. Finally, when she could hold her breath no longer, the sound of his footsteps got more distant. She let out a shaky breath when she couldn't hear him at all anymore.

_That was too close, _she thought to herself. _I have to continue farther._ Although every muscle in her body was screaming in protest, she heaved herself off the dirty ground and continued to run in the opposite direction that Yuki had gone.

About an hour passed with no more encounters. The trees seemed to continue on forever, and Tohru feared that she would never find her way out of the woods. Her run had become more of a stumble, and her exhaustion frequently got the best of her, causing her to trip and fall over branches and rocks.

_I have to continue on. I have to get away._ She kept telling herself this, hoping to coax her body into going farther, but she truly didn't know how much more she could take. Just as she was sure she was going to collapse in the middle of the woods, she saw an opening in the thick trees up ahead. Adrenaline consumed her body and she pushed her legs forward until she broke free of the trees and stumbled into a clearing. She exhaled an exasperated sigh of relief as she saw a community of houses up ahead. She dazedly continued a few more steps, but her body could finally take no more, and she sunk to her knees as the world turned black around her.

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**And it gets worse for Tohru! Will she be okay? Will she find someone to help her? Find out next chapter! Review please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry. I want everyone to know that I have zero intention of abandoning this story, I've just been crazy busy. I promise the next chapter will come sooner and I apologize for my updates not being regular. To all of you who continue to support my story, I am forever grateful.**

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Yuki stalked into the kitchen, punching the door frame on his way in. He knelt down on the floor and held his head in his hands. "How could this have happened?" he wondered out loud in a strained voice. "How could this have happened?"

About fifteen minutes later Kyo walked in to find Yuki still sitting on the floor.

"You didn't find her either?" Kyo asked.

"No."

Kyo groaned and punched the wall near where Yuki had a few minutes earlier. "Dammit!" he exclaimed, "What the hell happened? We were down here the whole time and didn't even notice?!"

"It would appear so," Yuki said in a bizarrely flat voice.

"Well don't just sit there! We have to do something! Jeez, it's like you don't even give a damn about her!"

Yuki's eyes turned black as he stood up and grabbed the collar of Kyo's shirt.

"Don't you dare suggest that I don't care for her," he said menacingly. Kyo pushed him away forcefully.

"Then do something about it, you damn rat! Sitting around isn't going to get her back!"

Yuki began to shake with anger. "Well what do you suggest? We looked for her and that didn't work. What else are we supposed to do?!" he yelled.

Kyo struggled for words for a moment before shoving Yuki out of his way and storming up the stairs, all the while muttering a string of profanities under his breath.

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The first thing Tohru was aware of was that she was strangely comfortable for lying on the forest floor. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as she saw that she was instead lying in a large bed with warm brown sheets wrapped around her. She gasped, trying to sit up immediately, but a headache came rushing to her head and something pushed her back down toward the bed.

"Oh no you don't," a silky voice said.

Tohru immediately turned her head toward the voice. A young man was gently pushing her shoulders back down toward the bed. He had straight dark hair, cut so that the front shagged a bit over his dark grey eyes. He had an angular face that looked slightly similar to that of Yuki, the boy that had tried to take advantage of her.

Tohru could feel her breath quicken as her muddled thoughts whirled around her aching head at a hundred miles an hour.

"Where am I? Who are you? How did I get here? Wh-"

"Shhh," the voice soothed, "It's all okay now. You're safe."

"But where am I?" Tohru asked, still panicking.

"You're in my home. I saw you lying unconscious outside and brought you right in. You gave me quite a fright, you know. You were asleep for quite some time."

"How long?" Tohru asked warily as she began to calm down a little.

"About five hours," the man said, "but now you're awake, though you do seem have a bit of a fever," he said as he placed his hand on her forehead.

Tohru could feel that she wasn't in good health. Her head was throbbing painfully and her breaths seemed to be a bit more labored than usual. She shuddered to think of what poor health she would have been in if the man hadn't found her when he did.

"Thank you," she said shyly, "for rescuing me, I mean."

The man smiled. "Of course. May I ask, though, what exactly I rescued you from?"

Tohru hesitated, biting her lip, deciding whether or not she should share her predicament with this stranger. Her mind was telling her not to trust him as she had trusted the boy, Yuki, but she felt that she needed to be honest with this young man that was helping her.

"Well," she started, "I was running from someone. I think his name was Yuki."

The blood drained from the man's face. "Yuki Sohma?" he asked.

Tohru's eyes widened. "Yes, do you know him?"

"He hurt someone I once knew," he said solemnly.

Tohru's hand flew up to her mouth as she gasped. "What happened?" She realized that she may be crossing a line by asking such a personal question, so she quickly backtracked, "I mean, you don't have to tell me. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," he said before pausing for a long while. He took a deep breath and continued. "I can understand why you were running away from him. Yuki Sohma is a monster. He preys on young girls like you and takes away their memories. At least, that's what he did to my younger sister. She went to school one day and just never came back. I searched for her for days, until I eventually found her on the street. She had no memory of me and refused to come home. Yuki Sohma pretended to be a friend of hers, and she went with him to wherever he took her. And… I never saw her again."

Tears welled up in Tohru's eyes, partly because she felt so sorry for this young man, and partly because she was so terrified that she came so close to being a victim of Yuki Sohma. The pain on the young man's face was so clear that she couldn't help but wonder if she had a loved one that was just as hurt from losing her as the man was from losing his sister. She felt as if she should try to comfort him, but she couldn't find the right words to say.

"I'm sorry that happened," she settled for saying.

The young man smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I've made peace with her fate. There's nothing I can do to change it now."

Tohru's hopes plummeted. "Does that mean that I can't get my memories back?" she said fearfully. She didn't know what she would do if she couldn't ever recall if she had a family or friends. The thought of starting life over completely was terrifying.

The young man shrugged. "I wouldn't really know. Maybe, maybe not. I guess I tell myself that if her memories ever returned to her, my sister would come home. But we can always hope for the best. What's important now is that you're safe and out of the grasp of that awful Yuki Sohma."

Tohru nodded. "Thank you again."

When she finished talking, she was overcome with a coughing fit that left her feeling weak and drained of energy. The young man's forehead wrinkled in concern.

"You should rest. Being outside in the cold for so long wasn't good for you."

She nodded and lay back down on the bed. "Oh! I forgot to mention my name. I'm Tohru Honda. May I ask your name?"

"Of course, how rude of me," he said, smiling sheepishly. "My name is Akito. It's nice to meet you, Tohru Honda."

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**Gasp! But wasn't Akito the one that wanted to get rid of Tohru? What is going on?! Find out next chapter! And pretty please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy Thanksgiving! I am very excited because I've had a spark of inspiration and have actually figured out where this story is going. I've been worrying that I wouldn't be able to figure out where the plot is going to be in a couple chapters, but I actually mapped out a large majority of it and it's very exciting. I am also very happy that four awesome people reviewed the last chapter alone. That's a record! Dare I dream for five reviews this chapter? ;)**

**Disclaimer (have I been forgetting these?): Fruits Basket isn't mine.**

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"We should file a missing persons report with the police," Yuki said. He, Kyo, and Shigure were sitting at the small table in the sitting room devising a plan for how to find Tohru. The three had gone out together one more time to try to find her in the forest, but after a couple short hours, the sun began to set behind the cover of clouds. They returned just as darkness was falling upon the woods.

"And tell them what?" Kyo countered, turning towards Yuki. "That our seahorse cousin erased her memory and now she's out running around in the woods hiding from a family that turns into animals? Right, that'd go over real well." He sat back so that he was leaning on his arms and sprawled his legs out under the table.

Shigure nodded. "Besides, even if they are able to find her, she still will be too afraid to come back here," he said.

Yuki did his best to control his anger. They both had a point, but they didn't have to be so damn relaxed and sarcastic about it. "Well what do you two suggest?" he said through gritted teeth. "That we sit here, lie around, and do nothing?"

Shigure gasped dramatically. "But our princess can't remain alone! She needs her courageous princes to save her!"

Normally Yuki would roll his eyes at Shigure's theatrics, but the remark of Tohru being alone in the woods silenced him. Tohru is so sweet and kind and fragile. She can't handle being alone in the wilderness like that. Yuki thought about all the things that could happen to her in the woods. She could get attacked by a bear or fall terribly ill. Clumsy as she is, she could probably fall into a river and drown and they would never even know. Yuki didn't even realize he was hyperventilating until Shigure softly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine," he said reassuringly, "Don't forget, she's lived in the woods before."

Yuki shook his head, refusing to allow himself to be comforted.

"Not like this," he argued, pulling away from Shigure's hand, "She doesn't have a tent or food this time. She doesn't know to go to school in the morning where she'll be surrounded by her friends." His heart ached when he thought about having to sit through the dreary monotony of school without Tohru there to brighten his day.

"She's lonely and confused and we're not there to help her," he finished as he stood up and grabbed his hair in frustration. '_And it's all my fault'_ he added in his head.

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Tohru woke up the next morning feeling as if she hadn't slept at all. Her body felt drained of energy, and though she knew that she was lying down for a long time, she felt like she could sleep for another four hours at least. She was up most of the night coughing, and by now her throat felt dry and hoarse.

"Good morning," a smooth voice greeted her.

She turned toward the sound, though she couldn't quite process what it said. It sounded like someone was talking to her from far away while she was underwater.

"Oh, hello Akito-san," she said as she noticed the young man sitting near her bedside. As she expected, her voice sounded rough and raspy.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked her worriedly.

"Yes, of coar-" Tohru was interrupted by a violent fit of coughs that lasted a whole minute. She had to sit up in the bed to get the last of them out. When she was done, she flopped back down on the bed feeling exhausted. Akito placed his hand on her forehead.

"You're burning up," he said, his voice dripping with concern.

Tohru tried to say "Oh, I'm fine, really," but her voice came out almost as a whisper.

"I'll be right back," he said as he got up and started walking out of the room, "I'll get you some water."

While he was gone, Tohru had a chance to look around the room for the first time. The bed she was lying on was much larger than most, and the brown comforter she was under was very thick, though she still felt chilled to the bone. The rest of the room's furnishings were elegant in a simple way without being extravagant. On the side of the bed that wasn't facing the wall, there was a nightstand with a clock that read 10:23 and a lamp with a stone base and purple shade. There was a large mirror with a brown marble frame on the wall adjacent to the bed. Tohru was glad she couldn't see herself in it. She didn't even want to know how awful she looked after her adventure in the woods. She couldn't even remember the last time she took a bath or a shower.

A mahogany dresser lay on the opposite side of the room, clad with picture frames. Tohru had to squint to notice that all the frames were empty. Why they would be empty? She thought that if she remembered who her family and friends were, she would want to put pictures of them all around her room. Then she'd never forget them. As it was, the picture frames were the only personal things in the room. It didn't seem right to leave them empty.

Akito walked in as Tohru was staring at the empty frames. He was holding a small porcelain basin filled with water and a soft white washcloth.

"Oh," he said sheepishly as he noticed what she was looking at, "I meant to take those down."

"Why wouldn't you fill them?" Tohru asked, "They're lovely frames."

Akito smiled sadly. "They used to have pictures in them. They were my sister's. After she disappeared, I couldn't bear to see her smiling face in these frames every day, taunting me with what I was missing."

Tohru wasn't expecting such a personal answer and felt ashamed for asking about the frames in the first place. No doubt it brought him pain to talk about his long lost sister.

His eyes seemed distant as he continued, "This was her room, actually."

Tohru was horrified for intruding on this man like this. She had no right to occupy his sister's room. He probably hoped that she would come back one day and sleep in this same room again. Who was she to crush that dream?

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be in here," Tohru said quickly as she ripped the sheets off of herself. She tried to jump out of the bed too fast. The blood rushed out of her head and she stumbled to the side as she struggled to stay upright. She could feel herself falling down quickly, but Akito caught her before she hit the ground. The porcelain basin of water he was holding fell out of his hands and smashed on the ground and shattered. The water splashed out in all directions onto the wooden floor.

Tohru stayed there in his arms for a moment completely stunned before starting an endless string of apologies.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Shhh," Akito said soothingly, "It's perfectly fine." He picked her up bridal style and set her back down on the bed, tucking her snuggly inside the covers.

"It's no trouble at all for you to stay here," he said comfortingly as he brushed her hair out of her face and behind her ear, "Besides, I enjoy your company. I've been rather lonely since my sister's been gone. Now I can take care of you."

Tohru's eyes filled with tears. This man was so kind, so gentle. She was a complete stranger to him and yet he was willing to take her in and treat her as if she was his own sister. Her heart ached for his loss. Though she was lost, confused, and couldn't remember anything about her past, one thing was certain in her mind. Whoever took away this man's happiness is a monster. Yuki Sohma is a monster.

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**Darn, I thought this would be longer. It is the longest word count yet though! Victory! Maybe some Akito POV soon? Leave a review please! A few seconds of your time would make me really happy and motivate me to start the next chapter as soon as possible :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**I love everyone that's been reading and supporting this story. There were 4 reviews last chapter plus another 2 for past chapters. Yay! Seeing that people review and enjoy my story really motivates me, so I hope you enjoy this chapter being posted a little faster than usual! Thank you all!**

**Disclaimer: I didn't create Fruits Basket. If I did, I would be rich and famous, and sadly, I am not.**

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Akito sat in the wooden chair next to Tohru's bed and watched her sleep. He had needed to retrieve several extra blankets to stop her from shivering, though it was really quite warm in the room. Every few moments she would toss and turn in her sleep or start coughing. At one point, the coughing became so bad that she woke up and saw him sitting there.

"A-Akito-san? What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing at the clock on the nightstand beside the bed, "It's two in the morning."

"I'm just making sure you're alright. I heard you coughing from down the hall and thought I'd check on you," he lied. He really had been sitting there all night deliberating what to do with her.

"Oh, I'm fine, really," she said weakly, "You should go get some rest."

"I will in a few moments. Now go back to sleep," he murmured, pulling the sheets up to her chin.

"Okay..." she said as she quickly began drifting off back into sleep.

Akito watched her for a few more moments. Her breathing seemed shallower than it should be. He added it to his mental list of ailments she had: coughing, fever, shortness of breath, and shaking. It seemed like the early stages of pneumonia. He had it himself twice before and experienced the same symptoms.

Akito sighed. He couldn't have her get too ill. Although he was enjoying seeing her suffer a bit, he would not be able to follow through with his plans unless she recovered. Sighing, he walked out of the room and across the Sohma estate to Hatori's medical office. He looked through the window before entering and saw that Hatori was asleep at his desk with his work lamp on. Being careful not to wake him, Akito slowly eased the door open and snuck in quietly. Hatori was snoring lightly with his head in his arms and didn't seem to notice Akito's entrance. Ignoring the sleeping man, Akito walked over to the wall covered with cabinets and medical posters and opened a cabinet filled with various medications. He grabbed the bottle of antibiotics left over from his last pneumonic illness and read the label to double check that he had the right bottle.

As he stood there examining the medicine, he heard Hatori stir. His eyes snapped over to Hatori in a moment of panic and he saw him shift slightly sideways, shuffling the papers on the desk. Akito stood motionless, not breathing until he was sure Hatori was still asleep. After about thirty seconds, Hatori resumed snoring lightly, and Akito took that as his cue to leave.

Once he was out of Hatori's office, he walked back to his private house in the complex where he was keeping Tohru. No one knew she was there and he was going to keep it that way. Eventually people will find out, but they won't really know the truth. Tohru will tell them she's choosing to be there, and they will believe her. Besides, the other Sohmas would never defy him. Yuki was the only one who ever tried and Akito's going to make an example out of him.

Akito walked back into the guest room where Tohru was still sleeping. He sat down in the chair at her bedside and looked at her sleeping form. A sinister part of him wanted to let her be sick and throw her back out in the woods. It would be easy. No one would know he had any part in her death; she would just disappear. But he can't only hurt her. He has to hurt Yuki too.

Akito thought back to the day that he told Yuki to get rid of Tohru. He had hit Yuki, yelling at him to get rid of her. That kind of intimidation had always worked before. When Yuki had said nothing and just lay on the ground, Akito had assumed that he would listen to him and get rid of the girl. He always listened.

But not this time. Something changed in Yuki that caused him to defy his leader. When Akito thought about it, he realized that the only change in Yuki's life was this girl. This worthless, pitiful girl. Yuki so obviously developed feelings for her, and those feelings were stronger to him than his feelings of fear toward his leader. Unacceptable.

Something had to change. One small act of disobedience would turn into complete disregard for order. In the blink of an eye, the rest of the family would adopt Yuki's rebellious habits and Akito would no longer be in control. Something had to be done. It wouldn't be enough to hurt the girl. He had to hurt Yuki. He had to break his heart so that no one could ever cause him to be defiant again.

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Yuki was startled awake by the shrill sound of the house telephone ringing. He opened his eyes and saw that it was still dark outside. The clock beside his bed read 4:17 a.m. He groaned and moved his pillow on top of his head to try to muffle the sound of the ringing. After several rings, the sound stopped. Yuki sighed in relief and moved his pillow back under his head. He hadn't been sleeping well lately and he was irritated that someone woke him up from his rare slumber.

He had been dreaming. He dreamt that it was a Saturday morning and he was waking up to the smell of bacon and eggs coming from the kitchen. He grinned to himself and walked downstairs to see Tohru smiling as she prepared an elaborate breakfast.

"_Good morning, Yuki-kun! Oh no, did I wake you? I thought maybe I would wait to start until everyone was awake, but I didn't want you guys to have to wait too long for breakfast to be ready," she said fretfully. She never stopped worrying about them._

_Yuki smiled. "No, of course you didn't wake me, Honda-san. The food just smelled so delicious that I had to come downstairs and try to steal some."_

_Tohru blushed. "It's not that good. It's just some bacon and scrambled eggs. I make it all the time."_

"_That's right," Yuki said as he took a couple steps toward her, "You do make it all the time. That's what makes it special." He took one of her hands and held it in both of his. "Everything you do for us is special. I don't know how we ever survived without you."_

_Yuki gazed into Tohru's eyes as he leaned closer. He removed one of his hands from hers and tilted her chin up towards him. When he got closer, he closed his eyes, angled his head to the side, and-_

The phone rang again, and Yuki groaned loader as he got himself out of bed and drudged out of his room. He walked slowly down to the kitchen and scowled when he saw that it was dark and desolate. His dream had seemed so real. He half expected that he would wake up and find Tohru busying herself in the kitchen like always. But no, she wasn't there. She was still gone.

The phone continued ringing. "I'm coming, I'm coming," he mumbled, knowing that if he wanted to get any sleep, he would have to get the phone himself. Shigure was a ridiculously heavy sleeper and would never be awoken by a phone, and Kyo was too lazy to get it himself. The phone was still ringing by the time Yuki made it to the opposite side of the kitchen. He yanked the phone off of the receiver on the wall.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Yuki-san? It's me, Hatori." Yuki inwardly grumbled at Hatori's voice. He hadn't forgiven Hatori for what he did to Tohru. It was still his fault that she wasn't safe and sound upstairs in her room.

"What is it, Hatori-san? What's so important at four in the morning?" Yuki demanded. Part of him felt a little bad for being so brash with him, but not enough to take it back.

Hatori waited a moment before answering in a quiet yet urgent voice.

"I think I know where Tohru-san is."

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**Whaaat? Did Hatori figure it out?! What will Yuki do?! Find out next chapter! Leave a review pretty please with a cherry on top!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I am terribly sorry that this update has taken me awhile. I will do my very best to get the next chapter up in 2-3 weeks. Please keep reading and reviewing! It motivates me so well. :)**

**Disclaimer (do I have to do this every chapter?): Fruits Basket is most definitely not mine**

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Tohru awoke early in the morning just as light began to fill the room through its single open window. She felt as if she hadn't slept at all the previous night. When she turned her head toward the clock on the nightstand to see what time it was, her head throbbed painfully and she shut her eyes tightly as if it would stop the pain.

"Are you alright?" she heard Akito ask her.

"What?" she was surprised to see him sitting there as he was the night before.

"How are you feeling?" he repeated in his silky voice.

"How long have you been here?" she countered, ignoring his question completely. Her voice betrayed her though as it came out rough and low. She sounded even worse than yesterday.

Akito looked at her sheepishly. "Well, I never exactly left," he lied smoothly.

"What?! But you need rest! I can't keep you awake! That's terrible of me!" Tohru continuously rattled off her worries. It was in her nature - she couldn't help but place others before herself.

Akito smiled. "Nonsense. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. Besides, I couldn't very well rest while knowing that you're sick. Speaking of which, you still haven't told me how you're feeling."

"Oh I'm fine really," Tohru said in her raspy voice while trying to keep from wincing from the pain in her head.

"I don't believe you," Akito said as his forehead wrinkled in concern, "I realize that you don't know me very well, but if you would trust me, these pills will make you feel better," he said as he took two capsules from a cylindrical container on the nightstand and held them out to her with a glass of water.

"Oh," Tohru said nervously, "that's very nice of you, but I don't think I need them." Truth be told, she felt as if she needed some sort of pain reliever desperately, but she was hesitant to take them from this man she barely knew. Though her mother had always told her to see the best in people, she also warned her from being too trusting of people. She could practically hear her mother's voice in her head. '_Tohru, you're such a sweet girl. But remember, sometimes you have to be weary of people. Not everyone loves you as much as I do.' _Tohru knew that she was too trusting sometimes. She was too trusting of Yuki. She didn't want to make the same mistake again.

"Of course," Akito said as he pulled his hand back, "How foolish of me. I couldn't expect you to believe me. After all, you've been through a lot the past couple days."

Tohru instantly felt guilty. "No, it's not that I don't trust you. That's not it at all. I just…" she wasn't sure how to continue.

Akito smiled. "It's okay, there's no need to explain yourself. I'm actually pleased that you're a little less trusting of people now," he said, referring to her naïveté with Yuki. Tohru blushed at his comment and Akito's smile grew wider. "There we go, now there's a little more color in your cheeks. Maybe you're already getting better," he said as he stood up and walked toward the door. "Well then, I'll leave you to rest. Just call me if you need anything. I'll be in the sitting room down the hallway."

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"_I think I know where Tohru-san is."_

Yuki felt as if all his breath left him in that one moment. Finally he may have a clue how to find her, and thank god, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle the uncertainty. He didn't even know if she had a place to stay, if she was healthy, if she…wasn't.

After taking a moment to regain his composure, Yuki took a deep breath and bombarded Hatori with questions.

"Well, where is she? Is she safe? Is she healthy? Who's looking after her?" he said in a panic.

"Calm down," Hatori responded in a hushed tone, "I said I _think_ I know. I have an inkling, but I can't be sure."

"Hatori, you're not making any sense. Why can't you be sure? If you think you know where she is, then we need to go to her. We need to make sure she's alright right away!"

"I'm not sure that's possible," Hatori continued solemnly, "Yuki… I think she's here. At Sohma house. With Akito-sama."

Yuki's heart sank. He went from being filled with hope to being filled with despair so quickly that he felt like he was going to collapse. She couldn't be with Akito. It was too awful to entertain the thought. Yuki thought about all the awful things Akito did to him when he was young, all the ways he was able to rip him from his childhood innocence. He couldn't imagine Tohru being exposed to that abuse. He couldn't allow that to happen.

"Yuki?" Hatori asked, growing concerned over the silence on the other end of the phone.

"How do we get her back?" Yuki asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Hatori sighed before answering, "I don't know."

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Tohru wasn't getting better. During the couple times that day when Akito had come in to check up on her and give her food, she put on a strong face and pretended that she was okay, but she really felt awful. The pounding in her head never ceased, and if she tried to sit up even the slightest bit, her head would spin and her breathing would become labored.

'Maybe I should accept his help,' Tohru thought to herself. As the hours passed and the moon began to rise outside the single window in the room, she came to realize that whatever she was ill with was not just a common cold, and she didn't want it to get any worse.

In a moment of doubt, an image of Yuki flashed through her mind. He was extending his hand to her in a gesture of what she thought was kindness. As she sat lost, alone, and drenched in the street, he beckoned for her to come with him. How foolish she was to take his hand. The flashback continued, but as they walked back to Yuki's house, his face slowly transformed into Akito's. Akito was the one trying to prey on her.

Tohru quickly shook her head to erase the image, but it only caused her head to throb more. Even so, she wouldn't allow herself to think that way. Yuki is the one to mistrust. As Akito said, Yuki is the monster. Akito is nothing like him. Besides, he did _ask_ her if she wanted the pills. He took no steps to force them upon her against her will. Maybe her caution was starting to transform into paranoia.

Right on cue, Akito knocked on the door to the room before entering with another extra blanket.

"I thought you may want this tonight," Akito said as he draped the blanket over the end of the bed, "It's supposed to be colder than last night."

Tohru watched as the man performed another act of kindness to a mere stranger. He was so selfless in caring for her that she started to think it may be okay to trust him. After all, even though she was no one to him, he took her in and treated her like his own sister.

"Akito-san?" she asked in her raspy voice. She meant to sound confident and sure to prove that she was really willing to trust him, but instead she sounded feeble and hesitant.

"Yes, Tohru-san?" he said encouragingly.

"I was wondering…do you think it's okay if I try those pills you mentioned before?" she asked as she eyed the pill box that was still sitting on the nightstand.

Akito's face lit up. "Of course," he said as he unscrewed the cap on the translucent orange bottle and removed two pills. He held the pills and a glass of water out to her just as he had that morning.

Tohru took the pills from his hand and made sure she had a firm grip on the glass of water before taking it as well. She noticed that the glass felt far heavier than it should have, proving that she really had lost a lot of her strength over the past few days.

She put the pills in her mouth and raised the glass to her lips. After she swallowed, Akito took the glass from her and set it back on the nightstand.

"I should warn you," he began, "they may make you feel a little drowsy."

As he spoke, Tohru could already feel her eyelids begin to droop, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was because of the pills or because she was so exhausted from her constant headache and coughing. Within minutes, she could feel herself slowly beginning to slip into sweet unconsciousness. She felt the blankets over her shift as they were brought up to her chin, and before she fully fell into a deep sleep, she could have sworn that she felt his lips on her forehead.

* * *

**I think this is the longest chapter yet! Yay! Hopefully they'll keep getting longer! Though not a whole lot happened this chapter, I think it was important to show how Tohru's slowly growing closer to Akito. But is it in her best interests to do so?**

**I'm thinking about starting an Ouran Highschool Host Club story. Hopefully I can come up with an idea and motivate myself to write the first chapter within the next few weeks. But don't worry! If I do start a new story, I won't stop writing this one. Maybe with the next chapter there'll be a link to a new story :). Don't forget to leave a review for this one though!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay! Thank you so much to my reviewers! It just makes me so happy to see that people are reading and enjoying, and I like to know what you guys are thinking about where the story's going. You guys rock! I would also like to apologize for taking so long to update. I'm always ridiculously busy, and I had trouble finding time to write this time around. I will do my best to get the next chapter up sooner!**

**This chapter is a sort of collection of everyone's responses to Tohru's "absence." Hope you like it!**

* * *

_Yuki_

"I'm sorry, Yuki-kun, I haven't heard anything about Akito-sama. You know he doesn't come out of his house much."

Yuki sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I know. Thank you," he said as he hung up, not bothering to wait for a reply. This call was identical to the ten before it. No one has seen Akito, no one has talked to him. He didn't blame them. If he were at the Sohma complex, he would avoid Akito at all costs.

"Nothing new?" Shigure asked from across the kitchen. He had his laptop out and was actually working on his new book manuscript. He'd been doing a lot of work lately. His publisher was ecstatic that he'd more or less thrown himself into the manuscript, but Yuki knew better; he was trying to fill the void in his life that Tohru left behind. They all were.

"No," Yuki answered simply, "Nothing new." He looked at the clock and sighed - time for another meaningless day of school. Without Tohru there to brighten up the mood of the classroom, it was all he could do to keep from sulking the entire day. Regardless of his feelings toward school though, he knew he had to get going. He threw on his uniform jacket, slipped on his shoes, and walked out of the house. Alone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Uo and Hana_

Uo's hand slapped hard on Yuki's desk.

"Well, where is she?" she demanded after homeroom ended, "You can't seriously expect us to believe that she still has the flu."

"And if she is that sick, we want to visit her," Hana added as she walked up to stand beside the desk.

"I'm sorry ladies, but Honda-san is still ill and just needs more rest," Yuki told them politely.

"That doesn't mean we can't go visit her though," Uo persisted.

"Look, it's contagious, alright?" Kyo interceded from across the room. Yuki hadn't even noticed that he was there. He must've slipped in the classroom late after a morning run. "Morning" wasn't quite the right word though – Kyo was out all night training nowadays to get his mind off of Tohru.

"That's a lie!" Uo shouted. "If it's contagious, then why aren't you sick, carrot top?"

Kyo's face turned redder then his hair as he stood up angrily. "What, so Yuki says she's sick and you believe him, and I say she's sick and I'm a liar?!"

"Are you admitting it?" Uo countered.

"I didn't say that! You're twisting my words!"

Yuki cleared his throat to get their attention. "Look, though I'm sure Honda-san would appreciate your concern, you know how she is. If you visit her, she'll just wear herself out worrying about your concern."

Hana placed her hand lightly on Uo's shoulder. "He may be right. Tohru's good nature may be her demise. Come on, Uo, let's go get ready for gym class," she said as she led Uo out of the classroom.

"Oh, come on, Hana. You can't seriously believe them," Uo said once they were out of earshot.

"Not at all," Hana replied, "Their electric signals are completely off, more so than usual. I believe they're hiding something."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Shigure_

Shigure sat in his office listening to his publisher bang heedlessly on the locked door.

"Shigure, open this door right now or I swear to god I will beat it down!" she screamed from the hall.

"I'm sure you will," he responded quietly, more talking to himself than her. He didn't quite have the energy these days to keep up with his personal uptight prison warden.

She was furious with him over the latest chapter he submitted for his manuscript. He had been writing another M-rated saucy romance story, but after Tohru went missing, he couldn't find inspiration anymore. He was writing constantly to try to work out his sorrow, but the only thing that felt right was to write a tragic breakup scene that ended with the main character's death.

"This story isn't a tragedy! And even if it was, you're only on chapter four! You can't kill off the main protagonist in chapter four! Who would buy that? No one!"

Shigure sighed, stood up, and walked to the door, opening it gently.

"Well," he began, "sometimes people are gone long before you even considered losing them."

With that, he wondered aimlessly past his publisher and out of the house, leaving her speechless.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Hatori_

Hatori stood in his office staring at the open medicine cabinet across the room from his desk. He was sure it was missing.

Due to Akito's constantly deteriorating health, Hatori kept a plethora of prescriptions in his office in case of an emergency. He was sure that he had antibiotics used to treat pneumonia in stock, but it wasn't there. Someone had to have taken it, and Akito was the only person besides Hatori himself who had access to the office after hours.

On the off chance that Akito was actually sick, Hatori decided to pay him a visit. He quickly walked the short distance to Akito's home, which was nearby because of all the house calls he had to make frequently.

Upon approaching the largest home in the Sohma complex, Hatori lifted his fist and rapped three times on the door. The door opened shortly thereafter, and a cute maid with short red hair and bright green eyes poked her head out of the house. He recognized her as Akito's new handmaid. His short temper caused him to fire and replace his maid's frequently, and this young woman was the latest one.

"Oh, hello, Hatori-san. What can I do for you?" she asked politely. She had already encountered him twice before when he came to check up on Akito's health, and she was pleased to see him. His kind demeanor was a pleasant change of pace for her.

"By any chance, do you know if Akito-sama is in poor health today?" he inquired, anxious to hear her answer.

"O-oh," she stammered, "To be honest, I don't know. Akito-sama has been insisting on complete privacy for the last couple weeks. No visitors."

Hatori exhaled sharply in frustration. He was afraid of this.

"I'm sorry," he responded, "but it's an emergency. I need to see him." Although Akito's will was the ultimate authority, he couldn't stand by if he was holding an ill person captive without proper treatment, especially if that person was Tohru as he suspected.

The maid looked at him helplessly. She knew that Hatori was a kind man that ultimately had everyone's best interests at heart, but she also knew that Akito was not forgiving. She had only been Akito's maid for two months, and she had been punished many times for not carrying out his orders exactly. He would not be pleased if she permitted a visitor to enter.

"I'm sorry too," she countered sympathetically, "Really, I am, but I can't go against his wishes."

Hatori looked hard into the girl's eyes. He pitied her. She was so controlled by fear that she couldn't act for herself. She was merely Akito's puppet.

"Forgive me," Hatori said as he forced the door open further and pushed himself past her. He didn't have time to waste arguing with her.

"Please, come back," he heard her beg, but he was already halfway down the inside hallway. He couldn't turn back – not when someone's health may be at stake.

He was headed through the living room toward Akito's bedroom when he heard his voice.

"I thought I said no visitors," Akito said with venom in his voice, "That new maid is an incompetent fool."

Hatori turned around toward the voice and saw Akito lounging on a black futon that lay against the back wall of the room. He had walked right past him without even noticing.

"It's not her fault," Hatori said as he walked closer toward Akito, "I didn't give her much of a choice."

"Oh?"

Hatori sighed. There wasn't time for banter. "Akito-sama, are you in good health?"

"Of course I am. If I wasn't, I would have actually invited you here," he said coldly as he rose to stand over Hatori, irritated that he forced his way into his home unannounced.

"My apologies, but you see," Hatori started carefully, "I noticed that some medicine from my office was missing. Akito-sama, if someone is sick and you're keeping them here, I need to know. They need a proper doctor."

Akito narrowed his eyes. "Do you dare call me a thief?"

"Not exactly, I just-" Hatori was interrupted by a hard slap to the face. His head turned sharply to the side, and he cupped his painfully throbbing cheek with his hand.

"Let's get one thing straight," Akito sneered, "What I do is my business. If I want to take something from your office, that's my right. I am the head of this family, and you will never question me again."

Hatori was completely torn. As a doctor, he had sworn to do everything in his power to treat the ill and take care of them, but he couldn't act against Akito. He spent his whole life serving him out of a combination of loyalty and fear. He couldn't change that now. He didn't have the courage.

"Forgive me," he said simply as he bowed to the head of the family. He didn't even give Akito a chance to answer – he was walking back out the way he came immediately. On his way out, he passed the maid. He noticed that the pitying look he gave her earlier was now mirrored in her eyes. No doubt she overheard their discussion. Hatori looked away, humiliated that he wasn't brave enough to stand up to Akito. What kind of a doctor turned his back on a patient because of selfish fear?

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help, Tohru-san," he said as he walked out of the house empty handed.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**


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